Review of Matière Noire by RINA

The top notes offer a vibrant blend of sweet and tart blackcurrant and noble rose. Jasmine sambac and marine notes intertwine, creating an overwhelming sense of transparency that seems to expand infinitely both vertically and horizontally. This transparent, elegant rose is then layered with patchouli, adding depth. Furthermore, the rich woody notes of oud (agarwood) and the intense, vanilla-like benzoin intertwine, revealing a subtle, resinous sweetness from within, evoking the image of a deep, lush forest untouched by human hands. While belonging to the recent trend of the rich "rose x patchouli x oud" combination, this fragrance thoroughly eliminates any complex heaviness, instead elevating it to a transparent elegance—a testament to Jacques Cavallier's structural beauty. Although the composition is completely different, I feel that the same kind of cool transparency and three-dimensional brilliance that JLO's "Still" expressed with sake and Earl Grey is definitely flowing beneath the surface of this work.